It varies state to state. There is not a uniform procedure for voter registration for the nation. Here in Minnesota, you can register on election day at a polling place with either a government-issued ID showing your address, a utility bill or other document indicating your name and address, or another neighborhood resident to vouch for your residence. (And since the slimy ‘voter ID’ amendment failed, it looks like you’ll still be able to do that next election cycle, too!)

My job isn’t to respect the “diversity of thought” that any rando coming across this blog might have. My job is to advocate for women’s rights and for positions that are best for human rights and social justice. And that is not Romney.

Blast, how dare Jill have the nerve to criticise extremists who lecture women on how their bodies work and how they should be forced to bear their rapists’ babies! She needs to be more mainstream and act ladylike and inoffensive instead!

Okay, seriously, the fuck is it with people barging in demanding Jill not have a goddamn opinion in her own goddamn blog? Disagree with the opinion if you want, all you want! Fuck knows I have on occasion – disagreed loudly and rudely, even. But don’t be the kind of unmitigated boor who marches in here and demands she not express herself because TEH HURT FEEWINGS of people who aren’t wearing their Adult Underthings Of Choice.

Sorry, just a bit annoyed, between this and the cross-party marriage post’s comments.

It’s also interesting how I have never, and seriously, NEVER seen this bawwhawwwing happening in the comments section of a blog post by a man.

But of course, suggesting that people perceive women’s opinions differently from men’s opinions doesn’t respect the diversity of thought in the trolls/MRAs/anti-feminists/bigots reading my comment, so I would never ever do such a horrible thing!

Congratulations USAians. The good guy won. It’s fascinating watching your electoral shenanigans from Australia. We don’t use any of those half-arsed voting machines. Just a pencil and a ballot paper you put in a box. We also have a federal electoral commission which means elections are run exactly the same everywhere you go. It makes life so simple and not corrupt.

The problem with doing it one way across the nation is this a republic of many states. Each state does things its own way, unless enumerated specifically in the Constitution. It was set up that way purposefully to avoid the Federal government becoming too powerful over the states.

Well, technically only Federal elections are run identically in each state. Each Australian state/territory tends to have slightly different laws for state and local government elections. Personally, I don’t think it’s unreasonable that national elections be nationally consistent (and yes, we’re a federation of multiple states too).

The House races are a disappointment (not a surprise though) but I’m really awed by just how well progressive female leaders did tonight, how well GLBT candidates did, in races where they were at times written off, if they were ever noticed in the first place.

It’s one of the rare times that I almost feel like something might be changing.

I’m so proud of this country for not casually accepting the unbelievable level of bile spewed about women over this election cycle. I hope that for just one year, we won’t have to hear “legitimate rape” or “that rape thing” ever again.

Hooray for Gay Marriage and stuff, but double plus mega yay for Colorado and Washington for deciding to stop sending innocent folks to jail for smoking weed. I think, as someone who has been pulled through the legal wringer over weed, that’s the big one.